Volume 22 Article 7 Issue 2 Spring/Summer 6-15-2003 Interview with Carol Hamilton Fred Alsberg Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.swosu.edu/westview Part of the Fiction Commons, Nonfiction Commons, Photography Commons, and the Poetry Commons Recommended Citation Alsberg, Fred (2003) "Interview with Carol Hamilton," Westview: Vol. 22 : Iss. 2 , Article 7. Available at: https://dc.swosu.edu/westview/vol22/iss2/7 This Nonfiction is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at SWOSU Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Westview by an authorized administrator of SWOSU Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Interview with Carol Hamilton by Fred Alsberg FRED ALSBERG: accepted in each workshop on the basis of work When did you first begin to write poetry? What submitted, and I went in short story and won first was the occasion? prize for the week in that category. But I sat at CAROL HAMILTON: the shadowy edges of the poets’ workshop with I had never had interest in poetry, but was Lionel Wiggams, listened, and also attended and writing and publishing short stories and articles shared at their critiquing/sharing sessions to ask when my children were small and we lived in if I were really writing poetry. They were most Hiram, Ohio, a small college town near Kent State. enthusiastic and encouraging, so I continued. I A time of personal tragedy came in my life, for learned there that the various schools of poets which I was totally unprepared. That and all the do not always blend comfortably, and I wrote a turmoil on our campus and the tragedy at nearby little verse called “Wiggams' Ark” which went: Kent changed everything in my life. A friend on Two by two the poets came the faculty there, who has for many years since of every style and creed, been a poetry editor, showed me some poetry she and true to form, the species did had written at the Iowa University workshop with refuse to interbreed. Paul Engle when she was suffering from psycho­ Jesse Hill Ford was at that time a regular short story logical problems and had a couple of attempted writer for THE ATLANTIC. He was my teacher, suicides and hospitalizations behind her. She told and he gave me the award in short story. He told me that, though she did not consider what she had me that I should write three hours a day. When I written there as very good poetry, the writing had went home, I began writing from 4-7 a.m.. before been helpful in getting her through that hard time. my children arose. But my little boys discovered She suggested writing poetry as a resource for sur­ that I was up and decided that was a good time to viving tragic events. awaken for play, so I changed my writing time to So I began writing poetry, drawing on the only 9 until midnight. I found the style and content of poetry I had ever really liked, that of John Donne, my writing varied greatly at those different parts and the lyrics of the songwriters of that era, Judy of the day. I soon returned to teaching to support Collins, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, and especially, my family, and I have always, ever since, done my Simon and Garfunkel (of special interest to me was writing early in the morning before anything else. their “The Dangling Conversation"). I found in I found that after teaching all day and caring for these writers what I liked in general, the use of my own children, there was no creative energy left metaphor to make sense of things. So that is how over for the evening or night. I just now thought 1 began to write my own poetry. I began publish­ that it might be fun to start writing poetry at night ing immediately, but I had no idea if what I was once more. writing were really poetry or not. But it was the coffeehouse poetry reading era, and there were lots FREDALSBERG: of opportunities to share. My mother came from How do your poems take shape? Origins and Oklahoma one summer to stay with my three chil­ forms? dren so that I could get away from problems at CAROL HAMILTON: home for a little while, and I went to the Indiana How poems take shape is a mystery to me. I University Writers' Conference. Twenty-five were believe that when a writer sits down to write at a 4 W E S T V I E W Interview with C arol Hamilton regular time and place, the mind learns it is ex­ group and I share a few poems with them each pected to snap to attention, and somehow, it al­ month and find lots of work to do after those ways does. But that is a product of long practice. sessions. But this is the first group I’ve ever I usually write at least one poem a day. People stayed with, and I have only been in it about a used to asked me if the writer does not need to year. I find it very helpful, as this is a group wait for inspiration. I find inspiration comes at with good chemistry. But basically, I work odd times, usually when I am driving or reading alone. or some other time when there is no opportunity to But normally, I don't keep changing things sit down and write. But I do jot down ideas on unless an editor asks me to, which happens. scraps of paper. I do not keep these in any kind of When that happens. I usually go along with the order, but keep them in a box or bag or jumbled request, unless I just don’t like the change, in within a stack of papers. which case, I just send it to someone else. Some­ If I need an idea for a poem. I'll grab a few. times I change a poem back to the original ver­ which usually bring my ideas back to me com­ sion for re-prints or anthologizing, etc. But usu­ pletely out of the original context, but that only ally, I find editors make very good suggestions, adds new dimensions to the original idea. Some­ and most of what I have ever learned about po­ times. I may sit in the yard or look out the win­ etry I learned from some very kind editors, es­ dow or read a few poems by some other poet or pecially Judith Neeld, who used to be editor of read in a book I have on the history of food, or STONE COUNTRY in Massachusetts. I have the BOOK OF SAINTS, or look through a book never met her, but I should build a shrine to her. of paintings. Always something starts stirring, She taught me a lot w ith great generosity of time and often several different ideas converge with and talent. Many of the poems she critiqued for a complex of memories coming to the fore as me over and over were finally published by some well. I start writing and keep writing until sud­ other magazine. She always explained why. And denly some surprise comes to me. I am always sometimes she published my work. too. I feel astounded that it all came together somehow. I very sure that I learned more from her than any­ always feel as if I just discovered something 1 one. did not know I knew. Then I type the work on I love to write in form and often just decide I the computer, play around with the shape, the want to write a villanelle or a sonnet today. line breaks, the sounds, look up some of the Villanelle is my favorite form, but I really like terza words, which also sometimes adds some new rima. too. I used to be very strict about the rules, ideas, as words, definitions are so complex and as if I were doing my figure 8's for the Olympic's full of history. Then I print off a copy on used competitions. Now, after doing lots and lots of paper, record it and listen to it. change it until it that, I find I enjoy playing w ith the forms. That is sounds right. The next day I listen again, change what most good poets do. But I think the poet some more, and usually. I am finished with it needs to earn the right. I used to tell my students and ready for another. Some I completely fin­ of 0 level grammar classes at Rose State, "It is like ish in a very short time, others I may play with checkers. You can only go one direction until you for a few days. I am not a poet who keeps ago­ become a king. Then you can go anywhere.” Most nizing over endless changes to one poem. Some­ of us want to go anyw here before we have earned times I’ll take up an old one and find I want to the right. re-write it. but that is usually when I need to re­ type it for some reason. I do have one critique FREDALSBERG: W ESTVIEW 5 Fred A lsberg How has living in Oklahoma affected your they really like. And also to continue reading those work? they really don’t like. In other words, the first job CAROL HAMILTON: of anyone who is serious about writing poetry is to Living in Oklahoma has been a great influence read lots of poets, and read them seriously to be­ on my work, but it was not originally.